New community sport facility planned at former leisure centre site in Peterborough

Plans for a new sports pavilion with dedicated changing facilities, community space, kitchen and Multi Use Games Area (MUGA) have been drawn up by Nene Park Trust for the former Woodlands Sports and Leisure Centre site in Castor.

Improving the facilities will extend the opportunities for community use of the sports facilities, in line with the Nene Park Trust master plan to provide leisure and recreation facilities to all visitors. Woodlands is currently home to Thorpe Rangers FC and Bharat and Bretton Cricket Clubs. The inclusion of a Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) will provide winter opportunities for our current teams but also provide facilities for other sports including netball.

Castor and Ailsworth Tennis Club are also planning to join the site at Woodlands and have well developed plans to enhance the sporting offer on the site. These include five artificial grass courts (three of which will have environmentally friendly floodlighting), two pickleball courts and two paddle tennis courts. The courts will be open to all.

The Woodlands site became a sports facility in the late 1980s when Pearl Assurance moved its main operation from London to Peterborough and provided sport and recreation facilities for its staff; building a large sports building with hall, gym, squash courts and snooker room along with extensive social areas.

The building closed in 2005, although the pitches and outdoor facilities remained in use for a few more years.

Nene Park Trust took over the management of the sports pitches in 2017 to enable them to return them to community use.

The site of the original leisure centre is now owned by Country Court Care, which has built Castor Lodge Care Home in its place. The care home opened in January last year. Country Court is intending to demolish the existing large unused sports building to increase their accommodation provision.

To carry out the improvements, Nene Park Trust will be working with local architects BBA. The facilities will consist of a sustainable multi-use community sports hub. This building will also be the trust’s only public building in the Rural Estate area and may act as the base from which other activities could be undertaken in the surrounding landscape.

To find out more about the project, visit www.nenepark.org.uk/woodlands-sports-facilities.

RELATED:

New Peterborough care facility at former sports centre to open in 2021